Russell Wilson's Steelers debut might have to wait. Wilson, who was named the Steelers' starter after the preseason, was officially listed as questionable with a sore calf. Wilson was limited in the past two team practices and Justin Fields practiced with the first team Friday. The Steelers will have one more walkthrough Saturday before Sunday's opener against the Falcons.
Wilson told reporters that his calf felt a little tight, but he hopes to get the start in Week 1.
Russell Wilson’s status sounds in question for Sunday.
“If I can go, I’m going to go and try to do everything I can to help us win… if not, I’m going to do everything I can to help us win in that way, too.
“I’m going to do everything, as you guys know, to be ready to rock.” pic.twitter.com/DOJ1Vs02ZA
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) September 6, 2024
Wilson injured the calf before training camp but played in Pittsburgh's second preseason game against the Bills. It appeared Wilson was trending in the right direction until his recent setback. If Wilson cannot play, it opens the door for Fields to grab the starting QB spot.
The news has already moved lines at BetMGM. The Steelers went from 3-point underdogs this morning to 3.5-point 'dogs since the news of Wilson's injury dropped. Looking at Action Network's public betting data, 80% of the bets tracked on the spread for Steelers vs Falcons are landing on the road team as of this writing.
Covering the spread could be an uphill climb for either QB based on the betting trends. Over the past three seasons, Wilson has been the least profitable quarterback in the NFL against the spread, according to Bet Labs, going 17-26-1 ATS over that span. Fields is one spot ahead of Wilson with a 14-23-1 ATS record.
props–container">
